Pearl Fisheries of Tennessee 19 



PEARL FISHERIES OF TENNESSEE 



BY W. E. MYER, CARTHAGE, TENN. 



[Read before the Academy, November 27, 1914.] 



That you may more fully appreciate Tennessee pearls and the fas- 

 cination of the pearl fishery in this State allow me to call your atten- 

 tion to the fact that fine, perfect, Tennessee pearls are worth more 

 than the highest grade diamonds of same size. The chance of finding 

 a pearl worth anywhere from one hundred dollars to two thousand 

 dollars in the very next mussel opened draws men to the river and 

 holds them there, even after weeks of poor success, or even absolute 

 failure. I knew one farmer who went to the river to water his horse 

 at noon, and, while the horse was drinking, idly picked up a mussel 

 lying in easy reach. He opened the mussel and found a pearl for 

 which I paid him $190.00. This started him to putting in all his 

 spare time. For a year he worked at pearling whenever his farm 

 work would permit and never found another pearl of any value. 

 This, of course, is an exceptional case and is given only to show 

 how the eternal hope of good luck abides in man's breast. 



In these later days the pearlers find it is safer and more business- 

 like to work in partnership with four or five others. This body of, 

 say, five men put all their findings together and divide the proceeds 

 equally. By saving and selling both the shells and pearls they are 

 reasonably sure of making some two dollars each per day, if they 

 work not less than two weeks at it. 



Cumberland and Clinch Pearls. 



While all the rivers in the State produce more or less pearls, the 

 Cumberland and Clinch are amongst the great pearl-producing wa- 

 ters of the world. I say "are," but, unless some sane restraint is 

 speedily thrown around the heedless total working out and total de- 

 struction of every mussel in each mussel bed and leaving no living 

 mussels to reproduce the race, we are going soon to have to say 

 "were". Already the production has fallen off to nothing in many 



